Student Interns

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A key objective of the Student Internship-Union Mentoring Program model is to introduce teenagers to the world of work and to dynamic career possibilities within a unionized setting.

Through real on-the-job work experience provided with the careful guidance of a union mentor, students learn about highly skilled work, about general workplace expectations, and about all aspects of the workplace or sector in which they are working.   They also learn about the importance of workers exercising a collective voice to ensure high work quality and productivity, decent compensation, and an atmosphere of dignity and respect within the workplace.

Student Roles and Responsibilities
                                                                                                                                              

These are the basic expectations of all student interns:

  • Commit to participation in the full summer internship program, including all key program activities (this includes scheduling vacation time only before or after the internship);
  • Report to work on time;
  • Cooperate with the assigned union mentor, and strive to resolve any concerns or problems through established labor-management channels;
  • Remain fully engaged in all work and learning activities for the full duration of the internship program;
  • Share information about the program with school personnel and potential future interns;
  • Provide feedback that will assist both union and management in program improvement.

In Their Own Voices

Hear some comments from students in New England  who participated in the initial (2000) IBEW rollout of the student internship-union mentoring model — in collaboration with Verizon Communications.

Learning at Work

The Student Internship-Union Mentoring Initiative’s “Learning at Work” Student Handbook provides student interns (and union mentors) with a guide for how to optimize the learning (and teaching) opportunities provided through a student internship-union mentoring initiative.  Union mentors are often given a preview of this handbook through a mentor training program, and new student interns are often provided a copy of this handbook as part of their intern orientation.